Eleanor’s Story: An American Girl in Hitler’s Germany by Eleanor Ramrath Garner
Posted at 9:33 pm | Filed Under Eleanor's Story
It’s a good thing that Eleanor Ramrath Garner wrote this book because her story needs to be told. Their family, Germans who immigrated to the U.S. in the late 1930s, moved back to Germany on the eve of World War II because their father had been offered a job that he couldn’t resist. The book is a great example of perspective. We’re immersed in WWII, so we wonder how he could have made such a decision. At the time, though, Hitler’s intentions were debatable. When Hitler invaded Poland soon after their move, their father changed his mind, but it was too late to get back to the States and the family went through the horrors of WWII in Berlin. Ms. Garner has a remarkable memory. She includes copious details about their daily lives and relationships, giving rich insight into what it was like to live at the time. She keeps her focus on her own life, only including information about the wider war as she discovered it. She gives a good sense of coming-of-age. Warning: This book is not a page-turner. It takes patience to read it, but the perspective it brings is well worth the effort. It made me cry at the end.
Criss Cross by Caroline B. Cooney
Posted at 8:47 pm | Filed Under Criss Cross
Want to know what teenagers did before the Internet and video games? Take a cruise back to a small town in the the early 1960s. Be ready for two narrators and multiple forms (prose, haiku, poems, question-and-answer).
There’s a mismatch in this criss-cross. The narrators, Debbie and Hector, are 14 and each in their own way self-consciously waiting for their lives to begin. So, the plot would be interesting to a pre-teen or one in her/his early teens. Problem is, the format might be difficult for the audience who would be interested in the plot. Or, perhaps if read with a bit of guidance, the book could act as a springboard to different forms of creative expression. I got bored with the plot and characters, but humorous situations kept me reading. It won an Alex Award and is a YRCA nominee, so someone somewhere must love it! Could it be you?
Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac
Posted at 8:42 pm | Filed Under Code Talker
Interested in the Navajo culture? The battles of WWII (Pacific)? The use of the Navajo language for the codes in the war? You will find this book riveting.
Bruchac uses a Navajo grandfather as his narrator very effectively. The grandfather, Ned Begay, begins the story with his experiences growing up in an Indian boarding school where speaking the Navajo language was strictly forbidden. When he joins the Marines at age 16 (fudging with the truth about his age), he is trained as a code talker. In a significant irony, the Navajo language has been made the basis of the secret code for sending messages on the battlefield. Ned relates the details about the battles on Guadalcanal, Bougainville, Guam, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa in a nonsensational, quiet voice that makes them all the more heart-wrenching. His humor and his reliance on traditional Navajo customs allowed me to see how he could endure so much brutality and still maintain his sanity. This book would be a good jump-off point for studying more about the Navajo culture, codes, and/or World War II.
Code Orange by Caroline B. Cooney
Posted at 8:37 pm | Filed Under Code Orange
What if a seemingly simple biology assignment could end up bringing the world to its knees?
Mitty is a 17-year-old slacker whose only motivation comes from his interest in Olivia, a studious and beautiful young woman. When they receive a research assignment on infectious diseases in their advanced biology class, Mitty gets a very slow start and ends up needing to use some books from a century-old collection that his mom had purchased to use in her home decorating business. Mitty not only finds a volume on his chosen topic, smallpox, he finds an envelope marked “smallpox scabs” within its pages. Of course, he opens it and breathes in the dust. As he begins to suspect that he might have endangered himself and others, he plunges into research into smallpox, research that has unintended consequences and that pushes the climax in an unexpected direction. Don’t miss the way Mitty writes. He has a great slacker-style approach to avoiding plagiarism.
Cages by Peg Kehret
Posted at 10:43 pm | Filed Under Cages
If you do something wrong that you don’t feel good about, should you keep it a secret or come clean about it? Read this book if that questions resonates with you. It’s also for teen girls who have concerns about difficult family situations, loss of a parent, and problems with friends.
Kit Hathaway is 14 and is paralyzed by fear and indecision because she’s been put on the spot at the end of her speech on shoplifting. The opening chapter of Cages sets up the rest of the book, which is a flashback of the events leading up to the moment in which she must decide whether or not to be honest about a bad decision that she made. The construction of the novel increases the tension, and I couldn’t put it down. Kit’s difficulties with an alcoholic step-father, a detached mother, and a complicated social life come into focus when she starts to volunteer at the local humane society and begins to find her way out of her cage. A fast-paced read, the novel looks at dishonesty/honesty/denial from many perspectives.
Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Posted at 10:40 pm | Filed Under Among the Hidden
What if the government had enough power to force families to have no more than two children? What if you were the third child in a family?
Luke has lived in the protected environment of his family farm for 12 years when a new housing development forces his parents to conceal him in the attic. Being the third child in their family, he is illegal and, if discovered, would be seized by the Population Police, bringing severe punishment to himself and his family. Luke takes to watching the construction of the houses through an attic vent and closely observes the new neighbors as they get settled. When Luke catches sight of another hidden face in a neighboring house, his narrow world opens up to possibilities that are beyond his imagination. I couldn’t put it down, and it’s great to know that there are five more books in the series: Among the Betrayed, Among the Barons, Among the Brave, Among the Enemy, and Among the Free.
The details: 153 p. 1998 (c. 2000)
Airborn by Kenneth Oppel
Posted at 10:35 pm | Filed Under Airborn
Do you like fantasy that is laced with historical fiction and swash-buckling adventure? If you like flight and can imagine a dirigible-like, high-class cruise ship that flies over the Pacificus, don’t miss this tale. If you like mythological animals, that’s another reason to read it. Ditto if you’re into pirates.
Oppel writes from the point of view of Matt Cruse, a 15-year-old cabin boy aboard the luxury cruise ship, the Aurora. Matt is a natural on the ship and in the air. The story opens as he makes a daring rescue of a disabled gondola with an older, deceased passenger. This event and the mysterious passenger’s journal frame the adventures that follow, and these adventures kept me rapt. Matt’s relationship with the fiesty and wealthy Kate is perfectly frustrating, and the introduction of a myriad of characters and plot twists is seamless and satisfying. Readers who like the mechanics of ships will appreciate the details that Oppel includes as Matt narrates the adventures; the rest of us will skim ahead to find out what happens next. Matt’s need to make a connection with his father (who died while serving on the Aurora) reminded me of The Kite Rider.
The details: 368 p. 2004
Welcome to the Battle of the Books Blog!
Posted at 9:09 pm | Filed Under Uncategorized
You’ve found the forum in which Cal Young Battle of the Books particpants can share information and hold online discussions about the books.
The official site of the Oregon Battle of the Books is at http://www.oema.net/OBOB/Booklists.html.
At Cal Young, we’ll be meeting every other Wednesday at lunch to discuss the books and hold practice battles. Teams are welcome to practice and discuss on their own, also! First meeting: Wednesday, October 17.
Questions? Ask Sam in the Library or e-mail her at arnold@4j.lane.edu